Ink
by Blueberry and Blacktooth
Summary: So, apparently religion was wrong, and the realm of Hell actually wasn't made out of Fire. Or Lava. The terror and suffering were still there of course, they'd at least gotten that part right, but not in the way most would expect. Unless, that is, one was expecting pure, utter, unadulterated Nature. And if so, well, it seemed that Hell had that in abundance.
1. Chapter 1

**Oops. I did it again. Submitted a new story without finishing nor updating my other ones.**

 **Ah well.**

 **This fic is a classic "Random girl falls into Middle Earth and Joins the Fellowship" because really, how could I resist? I don't know if there'll be any romance, though I really doubt it. We'll see as the story progresses.**

 **Constructive Criticism is always welcome!** **Hope you like it :)**

 **Review?**

* * *

"Refrain from doing too much rough work with your hand. Remember to wash over it lightly, with disinfectant soap and lukewarm water. Come back after a month for a touch up because it might fade and-"Lucianna held up her left hand and rolled her eyes and the male tattoo artist sitting at the desk, inked arms crossed and giving her a stern look.

"This isn't my first tattoo, and this isn't the first tattoo you've done for me either Ethan. I _know_ what to do." She drawled in exasperation. The brunet shrugged unapologetically.

"Yes, but this one is pretty fucking fancy," He said gesturing to her right hand that was now covered in fresh black ink, having done a full lacy pattern from her wrist to the tips of her fingers that made it as if she wore a glove. "It's gonna take a while to heal." He told her, sticking his black painted pinkie nail into his ear to scratch it.

The red-haired girl grimaced, remembering how long the colourful Japanese art that covered her whole back had taken –she hadn't been able to sleep properly for weeks. Her best-friend ( _crushcrushcrush)_ had given her a decidedly unimpressed look the first time Lucy had come knocking at four am, begging for ice to rest on her flaming back. The second time she'd done it –two days later- Arsinoë had glared, called her annoying and vowed to refuse entrance into her apartment the next time Lucy came crying. Funnily enough, she'd never made good on her promise. Nor had she ever done so the numerous other times Lucy had showed up at her doorstep in the middle of the night.

Even the Apartment Building Security had given up on her.

Looking down at her right hand, she could only wonder how Noë would react to her newest piece of body art.

Sighing, she hopped off the station where she'd been perched and picked up her backpack from where it had been sitting on the floor next to her guitar case. "How much do I owe you then?" She asked, almost dreading the answer. Her part-time job teaching the little munchkins at the local primary school how to at least play _one_ instrument by the time they got to high school didn't pay _nearly_ enough to fund her tattoo escapades. And it _really_ wasn't her fault that she could never resist the calling of Ethan's Ink Den; Lucy blamed social media. The multiple tattoo accounts she followed always managed to veritably shove her in the direction of her friend's tattoo parlour.

Ethan snorted at her pained expression.

"Four-hundred and fifty, only because you're a valued client." He told her. Drawing in a breath through clenched teeth, she forked out the money from her purse, inwardly crying when she saw what remained, and handed it to him. She'd left home this morning with six-hundred Euros in her pocket, resolutely leaving her Credit Card at home to avoid running it up even more. After passing by the local tech store to buy _three_ portable chargers -because the ones she bought always seemed to give out before they could even give her phone a full battery-, buying a bulk box of Camel Light cigarettes whilst she was there (because her stock had been running low), a jaunt at Burger King to pick up a quick lunch (the one that was now sitting in her backpack just _waiting_ to be eaten) and paying maintenance on her guitar (lovingly dubbed as Sir Cousty), she was left with only a ten bill.

Ahh, she'd have to pay her lovely Noë a visit before she made her way to her first class.

She sighed and slung the instrument case over her shoulder, clipping the strap at her chest, and donning her pack over it. "Valued client my ass." She grumbled, pursing her lips. The brunet male waved her along with an impish grin.

"See you in a month." He said in farewell, just before she exited his 'Den'.

The frigid winds of Dublin in winter immediately hit her as she stepped out of the warmth of the shop behind her, snow immediately settling itself into her hair, and she shuddered once, buttoning her heavy dark brown coat over the heavy woollen jersey her grandmother had lovingly knitted her just last Christmas. Not that it was enough though, she was wearing three more layers just under it, -along with a pair of heavy stockings under her jeans and three pair of socks within her boots. She cursed that she wasn't able to wear gloves, nor even shove her hands in her pockets, lest she irritate her hand.

Irish born and raised, it seemed that not even she was accustomed to her country's icy winters.

Tightening the scarf around her neck, she blew on her hands once in a vain attempt to warm them up. She reached into her pocket where an open back of cigarettes was waiting, a lighter within, lit one and got going, joining the crowds on the snowy sidewalk.

* * *

Arsinoë's apartment was situated in one of the fancier buildings of the city –a product of her coming from a wealthy family who insisted on "nothing less" for their daughter. Although contrary to what most would immediately assume after hearing that, the girl herself wasn't spoiled at all. Yes, she may have spent her money a little more easily than most, she also gave it away in much the same way. She donated money to the orphanages littered across the city (though never helped out, because she was abysmal with little kids), gave food away to the homeless people that lived in her area, and whenever she went home to her country for the holidays, always managed to stop by the poorer areas to help out the side of her family that wasn't as…successful as the rest of them.

Of course, whenever Lucy brought up her kind actions, all she'd get in response was a nonchalant shrug and a bored "It's not like I need the money anyway."

Secretly, it's what made Lucy adore her even more.

Waving to the two familiar receptionists, she quickly made her way to the elevator, punching in the button that signalled the sixth floor. The ride wasn't long, and soon after she was stepping into a familiar carpeted hallway.

She didn't even bother knocking, immediately pushing the silver handle down and stepping inside, and closing the door behind her. Her friend always kept it unlocked during the day when she came back from her classes for the day, knowing very well that Lucianna would drop by soon after she herself got home.

Arsinoë didn't really know how much the gesture meant to her.

Music filled the apartment, as it always tended to do, and she grinned, taking a deep breath. "Honey, I'm home!" She called out into the large apartment, taking off her bags and dumping them by the door, along with her coat and scarf.

A bushy mane of mauve hair peeked its way into the corridor, unimpressed caramel eyes giving her a bland look. "Hello." The owner said once, before their eyes drifted downwards to her right hand that had been hanging by her thigh as if it were radiating a bright beacon. "I see you got yourself another tattoo." She commented, raising a dark eyebrow.

Lucy let out a nervous laugh, walking forward and joining her friend in the kitchen, heading straight for the fridge. "It's great isn't it?" She prompted, pulling out the bread and the glass bowl of already mixed tuna-mayonnaise she kept covered with Glad Wrap.

Her best-friend shrugged and went back to the counter where ingredients for her dinner (most probably) had been waiting patiently. "It's stunning." She answered honestly, picking up the knife to resume cutting an onion.

Lucy gave her a wry smile, "But you wouldn't get it yourself." She finished, slapping a large spoonful of tuna onto the bread and closing it with the other slice. Noë smirked.

"I get Henna occasionally. I like body art as much as you do, as long as it's not permanent. I'd let you get it too, but that would be Cultural Appropriation wouldn't it?" The curly haired girl asked, amusement clear in her voice, grabbing a tomato.

Lucianna shrugged. "It would." She answered, taking a big bite out of her sandwich.

"Sorry for you then." Was the response she got in return.

Lucy eyed her right hand, skin still flaming red and tender under the ink. "This one will probably be good in about two weeks. It doesn't even hurt that much." She told her in speculation. Arsinoë let out a thoughtful hum, tipping the chopping board over a bowl and scraping off its contents with the knife she was holding.

"This marks your what, fourth, fifth tattoo?" She asked, moving to the sink. Lucy shook her head.

"Seventh, but you were close."

"Ah."

There was a brief silence as the redhead watched her friend fry the veggies in the oiled pan that had been waiting on the hot stove, and she decided that she better hurry it up before she was late for her Grade Four session.

Stuffing the rest of the bread in her mouth, she quickly placed the items she'd used back in the fridge and crabbed two bottles of Pomegranate Vitamin Water, opening the first and chugging half of it down in one go.

"I'm broke dearie." She declared bluntly after letting out a loud breath of air when she was done. Her friend snorted and turned to give her an amused smile that made her tummy doo flip-flops.

"I knew you were going to ask." Arsinoë stated, using the wooden spoon to mix the veggies. Lucy gave an embarrassed smile and rubbed the back of her neck, probably looking decidedly guilty…which she was.

Huffing, she let out a nervous chuckle. "Not much…just maybe, perhaps, a hundred? I'll pay you back -I always do."

Her caramel eyed friend snorted. "And I never want you to." She told her, giving her a look of displeasure. Stepping away from the stove, she wiped her hands on the pair of sweatpants she was wearing. "Add the mince-meat would you please?" It wasn't a request, considering her friend was already out of the threshold.

Lucy pursed her lips –she never liked handling raw meat, despite the fact that she was an avid meat-lover herself. Something about seeing it raw reminded her of the fact that it had once been a live animal…which turned her off. And she always had flashbacks to the _Cow Incident._ Its livid eyes, heavy breaths and noisy hooves floating around in her mind with excruciating detail…

She was still traumatised.

But nonetheless, she took the defrosted mince out from the microwave and ripped open the brown bag, dumping the contents in the pan and throwing the paper away.

Honestly, she wasn't much of a cook. Sure she could make basic things like Spaghetti Bolognese or if she was lucky, rice and curry, but the fancy things her friend cooked were far beyond her…hence she was a little hesitant to add any spices to the mince lest she utterly destroy the flavour or something.

She was grateful when she heard the footsteps, and gave the pan one last shake (not even she knew why she did it), before lowering the fire and turning back to face her friend with a sheepish smile on her face. "Remember last time you asked me to mind the chicken?" She asked, pointedly. Now _that_ had been a story for the grandkids.

Arsinoë rolled her eyes, and handed her the money. "There's four-hundred. Make sure not to finish it in one go like you tend to do." She teased, making Lucy laugh nervously.

"I'll try not to." She answered, before giving Arsinoë a tight hug. The bushy haired girl didn't return it, though she didn't push her away either. Lucy didn't mind, her best-friend wasn't one for physical contact unless she herself initiated it.

Taking a deep breath of the familiar scent of aromatic spices and summer flowers, she stepped back and gave her a bright smile. "I've got to go now, but don't forget to keep my dinner warm please." She ordered, wagging a finger. Her friend rolled her eyes.

"I'd force you to pay rent for the amount of time you spend here, but you're already too broke to pay for your own." Noë drawled in amusement, handing her the forgotten bottle of Vitamin Water. The redhead girl shrugged.

"Perhaps I should just move in. We'll be roommates and I'd get to bug you every day." She joked, as they walked to the door. There was laughter.

"You already do that." Arsinoë retorted, shoving her shoulder with her own slightly.

Lucianna grinned, pulling on her coat once more. "Yes, but then I'd get to do it twenty-four hours, _and_ I'd get to see you naked on a regular basis too." She added a shameless wink at the end. Arsinoë huffed and waved a hand.

"Not in this weather." She stated pointedly, her eyes drifting outside where the snow had begun to pick up. "It looks terrible out there."

Lucianna shrugged, picking up Sir Cousty and clipping him on, before shoving the drink in the bottle-holder on the side of her backpack and hauling it over the case. "It _is_ terrible, though at least it stops the stinging on my hand. Works better than even an ice-pack." She joked, wrapping her scarf around her neck.

Her friend snorted. " _Sure."_ She drawled, opening the door. "Have fun then."

Lucy gave a grin and waved. "Teaching little kiddies how to strum a guitar is _always_ fun."

Arsinoë smiled. "Of course."

* * *

Her class _was_ fun, as always, and all the kids had been extremely impressed with her new tattoo, many of them declaring that they wanted one as well, much to her amusement. In the end she'd promised to bring them all a pack of flash ones for the next class, _only_ if they promised to put them somewhere none of the teachers' could see. It _was_ against school rules after all.

After that, it was basically smooth sailing. They'd played a fun game of Copy-Cat (a game of her own invention where she played a short tune and the person who'd managed to best replicate it won a biscuit), she taught them a new song, assigned them homework of mastering it by the next class, and closed the class by singing a song of their choosing, as was tradition.

All in all, it was very satisfying, and she'd left the place with a cheery smile.

One that immediately disappeared upon seeing the weather that awaited her outside.

"Bloody fucking hell," She muttered, though with the wind, she couldn't even hear her own voice. It wasn't even five o'clock but it may as well have been three am for all she could see. The snow _had_ picked up to a veritable blizzard, and people were fighting their way through, squinting in order to see just five steps in front of them. Most had taken refuge in shops on the side of the street, but a resolute few remained marching, intent on arriving to their destinations before the storm got any worse. Lucianna was one of those few, though at the moment, she was seriously contemplating ducking into the coffee shop coming up and just waiting it out there.

An ominous streak of lightening in the grey clouds above had her quickly changing her mind. She'd rather just be at Arsinoë's place. She had almost arrived anyway only a few more turns and she'd soon see the familiar building. She heaved a sigh and placed a hand in front of her eyes, trying in vain to see better, though it didn't help one bit.

Suddenly, she tripped over something she couldn't see. She let out a cry and waved her arms wildly, stumbling forward in an attempt to regain her balance. It didn't work, but instead, her hip hit something sharp and her foot twisted, making her slip on the snowy ground and fall forward entirely.

Letting out a shriek, she held out her hands to catch herself quickly…only, her hands never hit the ground and instead she just kept on falling.

And falling….

And falling.

And she _screamed._


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter! Yay!**

 **Constructive Criticism is always welcome!**

 **Hope you like it :)**

 **Review?**

* * *

Eventually, Lucianna learned that on quickly got tired of screaming. And falling as well, it seemed, because after a while, even falling through pitch black darkness got old. After almost fifteen minutes –according to her calculations- with no end in sight (and she meant that quite literally), all she could do was spread her arms and legs in an attempt to slow down her descent and wait to splatter horrifically at the bottom.

All her regrets had already flashed through her mind way back during the first minute of falling (not telling her Gran how much she appreciated her homemade sweaters, not telling her best-friend that whenever she said "I love you" she _really_ meant it, lying about the completion of the English Essay she had due for the next day…), and she'd also finished mentally composing her will, so really, she was quite bored.

She wondered if Alice had felt like this when she'd fallen down the rabbit hole.

Sighing internally, Lucianna let her arms fall limp. She figured with the amount of time she'd been falling, it didn't matter or not whether she slowed down or not. She'd still end up as a limp pancake in the end.

There was a chance of course, that she could just be imagining this. Perhaps she accidentally stumbled into the road during the blizzard and had been hit by an unsuspecting driver, resulting her in falling into a coma, and that's why she felt as if she _really was_ falling.

Either that, or she'd died and this was purgatory.

Though that was strange, she'd always figured that she was going to hell, with the amount of sinning she did on a daily basis…

She could still feel her bags on her back, (thankfully) and contemplated reaching into her pocket for her cigarettes. Though the risk of dropping them and losing them forever was too great for her to try.

This time she really did sigh outloud, almost choking on the air that immediately rushed into her mouth as a result.

She wheezed, blinking frantically to keep the tears away, and rejoiced inwardly when she saw a light quickly approaching. She was _more_ than ready to hit the bottom, if only to stop this infernal descent.

Only when she did stop, it wasn't as hard as she expected. In fact, it felt as if she just landed on a feather bed, though she didn't bounce. She just sank slowly until she came to a rest on the ground.

She froze, feeling something warm and familiar hitting her body. In fact she was beginning to feel uncomfortably hot in the heavy layers she was wearing, despite the fact that she had previously had felt as if she wasn't even wearing enough appropriate for the weather.

Soft wind blew against her face, the sounds of birds chirping happily hit hear ears and the smell of nature she'd come to associate with the countryside filled her nose. She didn't dare opening her eyes, instead she slowly moved her hand across the ground she was lying on, her breath hitching as she felt the sensation of grass tickling her palms.

 _Alright_ , she thought _, I've officially gone_ _mental._

Slowly opening her eyes, she cringed and blinked rapidly when the bright rays of sunshine hit her, turning her head to the side to avoid it.

"Oh..." She groaned pitifully, heaving herself up and fully opening her eyes to look around her –only to freeze once more.

All she could see around her were hills of grass, littered with clumps of trees and bushes. That's it. That was all she could see for _miles_ , no matter how far she strained her eyesight in whichever direction.

She tried to tell the time by looking at the sun's position, and guesstimated that it looked to be maybe around nine in the morning, whereas it had been around five in the afternoon when she'd left the school earlier –and if that didn't tell her she wasn't in Dublin anymore, she didn't know what would.

Lucy took a deep breath, and refused to panic, (because even _she,_ who had grew up in the country, had never seen so much nature) she calmly pulled off her backpack and dug through for her phone. She could probably use her GPS to find out where she was, that was the beauty of the internet.

The Silver iPhone 6s (she'd wanted the Plus, but _damn_ had it been expensive ) lit up quickly, much to her satisfaction, and she immediately felt better, shaking her head at herself for even being worried in the first place. Siri, no matter how snarky she could be, would always help her out if she just asked.

However, the smile on her face was wiped pretty quickly when she saw the bright red SOS where her signal bar normally should have been, no matter which direction she held the phone up in. No matter how hard she shook her arm, how many times she switched to Airplane mode and back again, how high up she held it, that dastardly icon remained unchanged.

Slowly, she put her arm down and took a deep breath, contemplating her next course of action.

 _Well_ , the redhead girl thought, rubbing her temples tiredly, _there really is only one thing to do in this sort of situation._

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

* * *

Lucianna finally managed to pull herself together after her second cigarette, crushing it under her heel and digging a hole with the back of her shoe, burying it under the dirt. She felt decidedly like a litterbug, and she knew that if Georgina Taylor –an environmentally passionate girl she had Lit Class with- caught wind of her actions, she'd probably hunt her down and murder her in her sleep, but really, she didn't have another choice.

It wasn't like there was a convenient bin around or anything.

She took one more look around her just to make sure, but her surroundings remained the same. Blue skies, bright sunshine, fluffy white clouds and a sea of nature.

She had never been more disgusted in her life.

Not to mention she was currently sweating worse than a pig in the summer, dressed in heavy winter clothing as she was. She hadn't yet gotten the chance to shed all her layers -calming herself down had taken priority. Obviously.

Undressing quickly until she was just left in her boots, stockings and black Nirvana print shirt, Lucy sat down on the grass and neatly packed her clothing away. Her brown peacoat and knit jersey went into her guitar case since they would take too much space in her backpack, along with her three pairs of socks, and after completely emptying her backpack, she placed her jeans, shirts and scarf at the bottom of the pack, folding them tightly and pushing them down so they would take as little space as possible.

The rest of the pack's previous items were scattered around her; the brown paper bag of Burger King she'd forgotten about (she decided to save it for when she got hungry), the bottle of Vitamin Water she'd nicked from Noë's place, the three portable chargers she'd purchased, the bulk box of Camel Packets, her phone, her earphones, her wallet as well as a can of pepper spray and the Swiss Army knife she always carried with her. The fancy decorative flower pins currently residing in her hair also doubled as razors –nifty little trinkets she'd gotten off E-Bay courtesy of a signal boost on Tumblr.

Rape was a real thing, and females needed to be able to defend themselves, at least well enough to run away to safety. Which was basically the only thing she was good at when it came to physical activity. She'd been on the track team since she first started school at the tender age of four, running like she was made for it, so she prided herself on her sprinting skills and endurance.

It might come off as odd, congratulating herself on her cowardice but at least she was _honest_ about it.

Not everyone was like the girl she fancied, who could easily take down grown men twice her size.

All in all though, she figured she was pretty well off to survive two days at most in the wilderness. It really couldn't take more than that to find the nearest town.

After a visit to the nearest bush, she strapped her things to her back, giving her still pink hand a quick once over (miraculously, she had managed to avoid getting any dirt on it, so thank goodness for no chance of infection).

She guessed north as best as she could (though she knew she was probably wrong), and started jogging. She was intent on getting back to civilisation as fast as she could, and she'd walk when she got tired, then speed up again when she felt better.

And so she went.

* * *

Night fell with no change in scenery, the sun setting below the green horizon and the clouds turning pink, and it was safe to say, that Lucianna was quite fed up with her current situation, and would give anything to be back home and snuggled up in warm blankets with a warm slice of chicken pie to dine on.

The sun setting also meant the end of the only light source for miles, so she was forced to slow down and set up an impromptu camp under a cluster of thick trees. The redhead girl wasn't much of a camper, but she'd been on enough school trips to know how to start a fire; dig a pit, throw in some sticks, dried grass or leaves and light it up.

Perhaps starting a fire in the middle of nowhere wasn't the best course of action –who knew what type of things it would attract?-, but with the disappearance of the sun, and in such an open area, the chill quickly hit her bones, forcing her to put her jersey back on.

She sighed, unclipping her baggage from her back and dropping them on the ground next to her, plopping down next to them and holding out her hands in front of the fire to warm herself up quickly. She didn't know the season, or whatever the hell the temperature was, but she guess it felt like sometime early spring. Warm days but cold nights –not quite over the winter temperatures.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten in something like ten hours, and she remembered the meal sitting in her bag. She just hoped it hadn't gone off from the heat, goodness knows it was the only thing she had to eat, and hunting was just something she was in the mood to tackle at the moment.

If push came to shove, maybe she'd try it the next day.

She unrolled the brown paper bag and looked inside the burger box, lifting the bun peering into its contents, sniffing delicately. To her pleasant surprise, everything was still alright, except maybe the veggies were a little limp. They'd probably be off by morning, but the meat, cheese and onions would be fine. She decided to eat her fries and the veggies now, and save the rest for breakfast.

As she leaned against the tree trunk, nibbling on a now dry chip, she frowned as she saw how dark it had actually become without her noticing. The stars had even come out. Yes, she could acknowledge their beauty, considering that she rarely saw them in the city, but their light, combined with that of the moon wasn't enough to completely light up the valley, and the shadows were starting to freak her out.

A wolf howled in the distance, and she froze in fear, before slowly lowering the box of fries she held.

"Right," She murmured to herself, her appetite now gone completely. She shoved the fries back in the brown bag and back into her backpack, before quickly standing and picking up her things before shoving them up in the tree.

No way was she about to spend the night alone in such an open area, especially not after hearing that call.

She threw the dirt back over her pit, putting out the fire and flattening the lump as best as she could with her free hand, then walking backwards with her hand smoothing out her boot tracks until the base of the tree, where she covered her last footprints with a clump of leaves and hauling herself onto the lowest branch. She was feeling especially paranoid, and her instincts were suddenly _screaming_ at her to erase all evidence as best as she could.

Giving her crime scene one last cursory scene to make sure nothing looked overly suspicious ('overly' because she was no expert on hiding evidence), she picked up her bags once more and climbed to the highest branch on the tree. Luckily for her, she unintentionally picked a great one, with thick branches and plenty leaves for cover, ensuring that she'd be hidden from view (hopefully).

Placing her guitar case carefully on the branch beneath her own, she lengthened the straps to her backpack as much as they could go, before looping the bag under the branch and clipping it together tightly on her legs to act as an impromptu security rope.

She'd pull a Katniss and spend the night there, away from most dangers, and hope to _God_ that none of the bugs were poisonous.

An odd snuffling sound woke her up a few hours later, piercing through her sub-conscience mercilessly and her eyes snapped open quickly, her mind immediately alert. She hadn't been deeply asleep in the first place, because sitting upright in a tree branch wasn't the most comfortable position, so it was easy to snap to attention.

She turned her head slowly and breathed as slowly and softly as she was able without actually holding her breath. Squinting through the darkness and leaves, she was able to just _barely_ make out a large animal like shape (it looked like a canine) sniffing around her camp. It's footsteps were heavy and the sounds it emitted menacing, and at that moment she knew that letting it become aware of her presence would be suicidal.

So she stayed as still and quiet as she could, closing her eyes and praying to God that he'd have mercy on her sinful soul and let her make it through the night. Sure, she'd never been the most religious person, despite coming from a protestant family, but at that moment, she was probably the most religious person on the planet with how hard she was praying.

It circled her camp, growling and pawing at the ground in some areas, before straightening up and moving to a different spot. At one point, it even sniffed at her tree, just standing at the base of the trunk for what seemed to be an eternity and she held her breath completely at that point, her prayers turning to outright begging. Dying alone in the wilderness by a freakish large canine was not the way she wanted to go.

Suddenly, it snapped up, rearing onto its hind legs and let out an ear-splitting howl –one that was answered by another in the distance. Its growl was loud and utterly terrifying, before it jumped around and sprinted away quickly, its shape melting easily into the darkness of the valley.

She let out a shaky breath, her heart pumping faster than a rabbit's and she knew that she couldn't stay there any longer, her gut telling her to _leaveleaveleaveandleavenow!_

She didn't question it.

Quickly unbuckling her backpack from her legs, she fixed the straps as fast as she could and slung it on her back, jumping down the branch and grabbing her guitar case as she descended. She fell over the second last branch and let out a soft curse, but nonetheless picked herself up, wasting no time.

She paused long enough to arrange the items on her back and make sure they were secure, before she took off as fast as her legs would take her in the complete opposite direction from where that wolf- _thing_ had run off to.

The blood-curling howls that seemed to last through the whole night only seemed to spur her on even faster.


	3. Chapter 3

**This chapter is shorter than the others because I literally wrote it in one go, but I think it's okay. This fic is just like, an amusing side project for me so really, the length of the chapters don't matter much. And anyway, quality over quantity right?**

 **Constructive Criticism is very much welcome dears!**

 **Hope you like it :)**

 **Review?**

* * *

" _Oh,"_ Lucianna groaned pitifully, stumbling a few last steps and veritably collapsing in a panting, sweaty mess by the freshwater stream she come upon. She was grateful for it, that she was, especially because it was so completely _clean,_ and it was clear too, to the point that if she wanted, she could very well count all the rocks and pebbles at the bottom. She lifted a weary hand to shield her eyes -the reflection of the sky sat upon its surface, and the sun made it almost too bright to look directly at in some places, forcing her to squint.

Unclipping her things from her back with a sigh of relief, she crawled closer to the water, feeling as if she'd never have the strength to stand on her own two feet again. She'd been running for _hours,_ fuelled by the adrenaline of the incident during the night, and only now had her fuel begun to run out, and with it, the full force of her nonstop exercise hit her –and it hit her _hard._ Her legs felt like jelly, much like all those times she trained to her limits to constantly be the best, her coach drilling her to the ground and making sure she _always_ beat the timer with seconds to spare.

Ah, those thoughts brought back memories.

She untied her jersey from where it had been sitting on her waist –having taken it of during the night during a short five minute pause- and quickly unzipped Sir Cousty's case, stuffing it inside and not even bothering to fold it. She ducked her arms into the water, hissing a bit at the unexpectedly cold temperature, though she got used to it quickly. And if anything, at least it served well to send a jolt of energy through her system, something that was sorely needed.

She cupped some water in her hands and gulped it down, grimacing at the taste and feeling in her stomach, because really, her mouth tasted _disgusting_ and she'd never liked drinking water in the morning on an empty stomach. It made her feel nauseous.

She cleaned her mouth as best as she could, rinsing her mouth and using her finger as a toothbrush, but Lucy wasn't entirely satisfied. Her mouth still tasted bad, and though she knew the taste would wear off eventually, she'd see if she if she could find some mint leaves to chew on as she went. She could recognise them anywhere, curtesy of her grandfather. Growing up in the countryside had its benefits of course.

She took a quick bath, scrubbing thoroughly with her hands and a slightly rough rock, though she made sure to be gentle with her right hand. It was less of a flaming colour than the day before, but she still needed to be extra careful with it. She _did_ take a moment to admire how pretty it was in the water, along with the one that adorned the back of her calf…and the one under her breasts…and all the others.

There was just something about the clear water that made them all look extra stunning.

She got out fast though, for all her admiring, and pulled on her underwear and bra again, and then the pair of jeans and one of the long-sleeved shirts in her bag. The socks went back on, as well as the boots, and once again, she was fully dressed.

She ate her breakfast, listening to music through one earphone (because miraculously, her battery was only at fifty-three percent!) and wondering just how long it would take for her to reach the nearest town. Checking the time on the phone (which seemed to be relatively accurate when compared to the sun's position –though even with that she wasn't so sure), it showed that she'd been on the move for a few minutes more than twenty-four hours, and she hadn't even so much as _seen_ at least one windmill, or the vague shape of a farm, which she had to wonder about, because she was sure that with this much open and fertile land, farmers would be positively flocking to it in swarms.

She still had no signal on her phone, no matter how hard she tried, nor where she looked, meaning that neither her GPS nor Map worked. Meaning that basically, she was roaming around blinder than a bat.

At least the scenery had changed a little; she could finally spot what seemed to be mountains in the far, _far_ distance, shrouded by heavy clouds. It still made her irrationally happy though.

One got tired quick of just grass _and_ trees _and_ bushes and _maybe_ the occasional flower.

She sighed, finishing off half her burger, not feeling very hungry in the first place. She'd only taken a few bites because she knew she'd need the energy. She lit a cigarette, one of the last three from the already open camel back, the rest which would probably finish soon as well. She was just grateful that she'd coincidentally bought the bulk box before this whole ordeal, because goodness knew what she would have done if she'd run out.

And so she lay for a few long minutes, spread out on the soft grass, eyes closed and listening to the sounds of familiar music floating through her earphone –Vivaldi made excellent background music to the great outdoors.

Yes, perhaps staying by the water wasn't the best idea, as water attracted both Animals and human beings, and God knew she didn't want to encounter either by herself in such an open area…however, she was just so tired that all she wanted to do was rest for a while, if only a little bit.

Taking another deep inhale of the cigarette nestled in her fingers, she wondered idly if anyone was looking for her. She'd promised Noë she'd be there for dinner, and she hadn't shown, or called, or sent a text. Her best-friend must've been worried, she knew. And she could only imagine her grandmother as well –probably in tears. Her grandfather had just died the previous year, so her poor Gran was still grieving for that. Lucianna just hoped she'd survive.

The though made her frown in displeasure and roughly crush her the filter of her cigarette on the ground and light another.

The problem was that she herself didn't know where she was. Sure as hell no longer in Dublin anymore, but was she even in the country? Perhaps maybe at first glance, Ireland had lots of open spaces but going a day in the country without even encountering one single airplane at least? If that didn't say she was absolutely, bloody, and royally fucked, then she didn't know what would.

Lucianna groaned and clicked her tongue in displeasure, because really, her thoughts weren't doing anything to make her feel better.

She took another long drag from her cigarette and blew, watching the smoke swirl lazily into the air.

* * *

She ended up falling asleep by the stream, the warmth of the sun lulling her to sleep, and woke up two hours later at around ten, if her phone had been correct. She was lucky that she hadn't slept any longer, and even luckier nothing or no one hostile had come across her, otherwise she could've very well been knocking on the grave right then.

If she wasn't already.

(Lucy still wasn't entirely convinced she wasn't dead)

So gulping down a little more of the clean water, and returning her now dead phone back to her bag so it could charge (She needed it to be on in case she'd miraculously get a signal), she stood and stretched as far as her muscles would allow her, before letting out a satisfied sigh.

Donning her things and making sure they were secure, she got walking.

Following the stream would be her best course of action, because where there was water, there was life. If she was lucky, it would lead to a larger lake, and maybe a dam. There at the damn, there'd be people maintaining it. And if she _wasn't_ lucky enough to find a damn, then she'd at least find a village or something. Either way, there'd be people.

The warm day, coupled with the lazy sky and cheery birds made her take her journey at a walk. Her nap had put her in a good mood, and yes, maybe there _was_ reason to rush, she just couldn't find it in her to do it.

She followed the stream for a while, occupying herself by pretending she was the main character in a fantasy novel, on a mission to save the world from utter destruction by a dark lord.

Because who didn't dream of that occasionally?

The hours passed and her growling stomach eventually forced her to settle down for lunch at around three o'clock, where she enjoyed another light nap and the last cigarette in her open packet, before setting off again an hour later.

By the time sunset rolled around at around six, she was ready to find a nice comfortable tree, climb up to the highest branch and settle down for the night. And hopefully not have an encounter with another one of those wolves.

She had moved slightly away from the stream and closer to the treeline, searching for a good place to sleep or just pat down for the night when she heard it; the sound of loud, hearty laughter and voices speaking and shouting at each other in a language that she didn't recognise.

She stopped, turning her head in the direction the noise was coming from and froze in place in order to hear better.

The voices were clearly male, though they ranged in different octaves, from a high squeak that made your ears pain to a deep and rough baritone that could give even Barry White a run for his money. They sounded as if they were having fun, and if she squinted hard enough, she could even see the faint light of a fire.

However, she didn't think revealing herself to them would be a good idea –in fact, the more she thought about, the more idiotic the idea became. She didn't know who they were, what type of people they were, and she didn't even speak their language (though it sounded very unappealing in the first place). The danger was practically screaming at her. How many stories had she read of innocent females being brutally gang-raped and tortured to death?

Oh no, no, no, pepper spray or no pepper-spray, she wasn't about to become one of them, and _maybe_ there was a chance that the men could be friendly, but she wasn't about to take that chance.

Suddenly, a twig snapped behind her and before she could even react, an arm wrapped itself around her waist, pulling her backwards and a foul smelling hand covered her mouth, the odour filling her nostrils and

There was a chuckle, and a few smug spoken words in the same guttural, horrible sounding language that the other men communicated in. Sharp nails buried themselves in her left arm, so hard that she let out a pained sound, which only served for the male behind her to laugh cruelly.

More words were spoken, its putrid, hot breath invading her senses and making her positively lightheaded from disgust. She barely stopped from passing out right then and there, though it seemed her efforts were futile in the end.

The grip around her middle lessened, and she rejoiced, about to take the opportunity to escape. But before she could even take one small step forward, she felt a painful blow to the side of her head, and the last thing she felt were painful claws digging into her shoulder before she collapsed into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

**In which the internet is a Godsend and Lucy meets the first relatively normal looking person since landing in this strange place.**

 **Orcs are hard to write. Did I get them right?**

 **Hope you like the chapter :)**

 **Review?**

* * *

Lucianna woke up with a terrible pain in her neck, her head repeatedly bashing on a hard, uncomfortable, and extremely _foul-_ smelling surface. So foul in fact, that she felt the nausea creeping up and the sour taste burning her throat.

She swallowed thickly, trying not to breathe too deeply through her nose lest the contents of her stomach make a break for it then and there. She guessed that being sick would do nothing to please her captors.

She tried to open her eyes, blinking quickly as her eyes tried to adjust to the sunlight -only to be forced to close them once again as a pain sliced through her skull, and she winced. She had a migraine strong enough to fell even the hardiest of beings. Her head was throbbing so badly that all she felt like doing was curling up after overdosing on Paracetamol with a pack of ice on her forehead in the pitch black darkness of her bedroom.

The jostling and rough movements disturbing her only served to make the pain even more prominent.

A loud shout in a rough, guttural language, pierced like a bullet through her head, followed by replies in equally loud voices, and the redhead barely held in her groan of agony. She very well wouldn't have, had she been alone, but at the moment, she needed to push aside her discomfort, try not to draw attention to herself and figure out what the _bloody hell_ was going on.

Suddenly, she was unceremoniously dropped to the rough ground, and she let out a breathless gasp as she hit the dirt, the rocks and her bags (which were surprisingly still clipped tightly to her chest and sitting in place) dug into her back.

Her head swam when she tried to move and shift over to a more comfortable position, but found with horror that she was tightly bound with thick rope, preventing her from moving so much as an _inch_.

More commands in the same foreign language and tight, grimy hands with sharp nails dug into her forearms, literally hauling her upright onto her feet. She stumbled, almost falling over but a hard hand on her chest (that felt more like a whack) stopped her.

Her eyes widened and she recoiled when her eyes registered the sight of her captors.

There seemed to be around twenty in total, all drop, dead, _ugly._ Lucy had to hide her visible disgust at their appearance, with leathery grey skin that looked like it was rotting and seconds away from falling off their face. Hell, their teeth were already ruined, rotten to the core and some outright missing. She didn't even blame those teeth –she wouldn't want to stay in a mouth that disgusting either. They were mostly nude as well, which wasn't a very pleasant sight, wearing deeply stained loin-clothes (she didn't even want to contemplate what said stains could be) and brown animal skin boots. Those too looked like they were on their last leg.

The fact that they clearly weren't human wasn't too much of a problem in her mind, they could have been Aliens for all she cared.

 _They probably are,_ she thought to herself, eyeing them all warily.

But really, the thing that worried Lucy the most were the _weapons_ they carried –and judging from the dried blood and fleshy bits on the sharp, gleaming metal, they were used quite often.

Lucianna gulped and started praying.

One of them, the tallest, stomped forward menacingly, glaring right at her with its watery yellow eyes, teeth bared in a snarl and fists clenched, and when it stopped in front of her, eye-to-eye, it spat at her feet, a big glob of yellowish phlegm that made her stomach turn, and it gave her a smug grin through its black teeth.

"Master'll give us a nice fat reward fer ya. He likes spritely human wenches, and always gifts those who bring tha best." It declared, before lifting a grey hand, nails sharp and grey, and roughly grabbed her head, sinking its claws in deeply. She cringed and bit her lip to resist letting out a cry of pain.

"I ain't never seen hair like yours either. Where're ya from?" It demanded, squinting suspiciously at her hair. "You ain't one of them witches from the human villages are ya? Master don't like em, so we'll hafta kill ya if y'are, otherwise he'd kill _us."_

The other creatures let out displeased grunts, and one even stepped forward, brandishing a short-sword that had patches of crusted blood on the end. "Why don't we just kill her anyway? We've been missin some _real_ meat these days, and I reckon she'd do just fine!" It exclaimed, waving its sword, cheered on by the encouraging cries from around.

Lucianna forced to keep her raging panic off her face, her eyes roaming the group and watching them warily. She had to think of a plan to escape somehow, because she _really_ didn't fancy becoming their meal for the night.

The creature that held her shouted out angrily, and every one of the others went silent. She didn't understand what it was saying, but judging by their faces, she was pretty sure that their request to turn her into a nice, hearty meat stew had been denied – _thank goodness._

It turned back to her expectantly, "Well, are ya?" It asked, and she blinked in confusion, not understanding its question.

"A-am I what?" She asked in a careful tone, slightly afraid to even speak.

The creature's face contorted, irritation written on its visage. "One of them human witches of course! 'Cause if y'are, we're gonna eat ya!" It exclaimed impatiently and she shook her head negatively at the threat.

"N-n-no! I'm n-not!" Lucy stammered out, praying it believed her, though she had to wonder how dumb these creatures were to just outright _ask_ her, "I'm as normal as you can get!" She added with a slightly desperate grin, hoping it would work. Another of the creatures stepped forward.

"Well, if yer not a witch, why couldn't we open any of yer packs? And why're ya clothed so oddly? Why, I ain't never seen a human wench dress like ya!" It pointed out, and she cursed.

The creature holding looked like it had just realised the same as well, "Yea! Explain yerself wench!" It demanded, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Lucy grasped for the first thing that came to mind. "Well, I come from a far away land, you see, and I am actually a travelling performer. The reason why you could not open my bag is because it was specially made so that bandits couldn't steal from me." She said, finishing with a shrug in hope that it would make her story more believable. If she appeared casual, then they'd less-likely suspect her of lying.

The leader was silent, still glaring at her suspiciously, before it grunted. "We'll take ya to the Master." It decided finally, before glaring heatedly at its other companions. "No one touches the wench, or we'll be eating ya instead tonight!" It threatened, before barking out orders once more in their ugly language.

She was shoved into another pair of arms, a painful grip encircling her forearm before being dragged away into the trees.

* * *

The nice thing about the internet -Lucy thought to herself almost four hours later as she leaned against a tree in the darkness with a smile, massaging her wrists tenderly- was that it was a major source of communication, and therefore, allowed women all across the globe, to help each other out, because God knew that in the patriotic world they lived in, no one else bloody would.

And so, it had been a few months previous, during which she'd come across a very helpful link to EBay, for sharp blades that could also double as decorative hair clips and necklaces. They came in various pretty shapes, like Dolphins, or flowers and even handbags, and they were the type of accessory that the average male wouldn't even spare a glance at.

Which was an absolutely wonderful thing, since it gave you the element of surprise should a female find herself in a dangerous situation with no other source of help in sight.

She hadn't bought any of the necklaces, but she _had_ bought quite a few of the hairclips –the very ones she was wearing at the moment in fact.

And the very _same_ ones that she'd used to slowly wear away the tight ropes around her wrists as well.

It had been a long, _long,_ and difficult process, taking an hour just to be able to contort in the right position to be able for her hands to get to her hair –and what a nightmare _that_ had been- and extract the clip, and from then on it had been tough work to be able to saw through the thick rope, but _she_ had finally done it, and really, she'd never felt so accomplished in her life.

She quickly untangled herself from the remainder of the rope and stuffed it into her backpack (because if she had learnt something from her grandfather before his passing, it was that one _never_ knew when they'd need rope), before standing up and hauling ass as fast as she could.

Which was pretty damn fast if she said so herself.

The day was still bright as she made her escape, and she estimated that it was just _barely_ noon, judging by the position of the sun. She'd been lucky that they'd captured her at night –as odd as it sounded, because by the time she'd woken up again, it was morning, perhaps at around eight.

That gave her a whole day's worth of putting distance between herself and those creatures, and she was determined to use that time to the fullest, lest they could secretly run at super speed and catch up with her in no time.

She wouldn't put it past them to be able to do it either. Up until that day, she'd never seen creatures like them except in movies or video games. Anything was possible.

If she had any hopes that she was still possibly on Earth, they were absolutely crushed now.

The problem now was that she had absolutely _no_ idea where she was (not that she very much had before), and considering that she had lost sight of the stream she'd been content to follow, she wasn't sure how far away from it they had travelled either, so she wouldn't be able to risk going back to find it on the consequence of potentially running into her captors once more, and obviously, that was something she wanted to avoid.

The grassy plains had also reduced as well, mixing with more dirt and trees as she went on, and the mountains were also getting closer as well, though they were still mostly hidden by the dark, heavy clouds.

Lucianna decided that she'd continue towards them. She knew that a lot of towns and villages were often built in view of mountain ranges, and sometimes, even at the very base themselves. It was her best bet really, and the only idea she could think of.

It was either that or continue roaming the grasslands for eternity, and if she did that, she'd go mental.

* * *

Days passed in a blink of an eye, and Lucy found that most of the time she didn't even care all that much anymore.

Her meagre food source had long finished, and she'd had to content herself with nibbling on fruits (only the ones she recognised) and nuts, or when she was lucky, she come across a stream and be able to wrestle down some fish. Her grandfather had taught her how when she was younger, and though it had been _years,_ she found that the muscle memory stuck.

Though that was still rare and far between.

She'd also come across a mint bush at one point, which she'd picked clean and taken a few of its sticks to chew on. It was the best she could do since she didn't have any toothpaste.

She encountered no one else during her few days of roaming, not that she had a very big problem with it, because if the only beings that inhabited this land were those ugly creatures, then she'd gladly spend her days alone –she just found it strange how she could see no towns in the distance, farms or plantations. Not even a single wooden hut. As terrible as those creatures were, they had to survive somehow, and yet she had seen no sign of civilisation.

There were no roads, just worn dirt paths sometimes appearing in the ground, and she followed those as best as she could, but she often got lost whenever she hit the treeline, so in the end, she'd simply carried on blindly, praying for the best.

The amount of time she spent praying in this land was something she never would have imagined had she still been home. She had been a Christian by name only, and not from practice. Yes, since her grandparents were devote believers, she'd gone to church every Sunday of her childhood, and she could probably recite the whole bible by heart if she tried hard enough (thanks to her Grandfather), or at least give a brief summary of each chapter, but that didn't mean she herself was a fellow believer. But when one was lost, afraid and helpless, really, turning to God wasn't surprising.

And so she prayed every night for protection before she slept, and every morning when she woke up, and sometimes, when she was feeling particularly desperate and hopeless, recited a Psalm or two.

She wasn't sure if her prayers were being answered, or if God was just laughing at her from His Throne, but considering she hadn't been in any life threatening situations since she'd been held captive, she took it as a relatively good sign.

Oh how her Gran would laugh.

Her day had been typically uneventful, aside from the brief panic attack she'd had when she found a spider in her hair, but other than that, it had been entirely boring...until the end of the day rolled around.

She'd come across the clearing purely by accident really, literally tripping over an unseen tree root as she jogged between the trees of the forest –she figured that without the relentless sun beating down on her, she'd be able to make more time and cover more ground- and landing in a heap at the edge of the clearing.

It looked like something straight out of fairy tale, with flowers colourfully blooming all around, soft, thick emerald grass, a bright clear stream radiating the light of the sun beautifully, with little woodland creatures even roaming around, minding their own business as the butterflies flitted between them.

Of course, her first reaction was to take a picture of it with her phone, because hell if it wasn't a stunning sight, and she knew her grandmother would love to see it if she ever got back home.

 _When she got back home._

The best part of it was that it seemed to be completely hidden from the outside –she'd checked. She was sure if she hadn't tripped she would have never have found it.

It was around sunset anyway, so she figured she may as well take the opportunity presented to her and camp down there for the night anyway, because she doubted that she'd find another place as good as the current one.

She dropped her bags by a large moss-covered boulder not far from the water, taking out a fresh pair of clothing, entirely grateful that she'd been wearing multiple layers when she rocked up in this strange place, otherwise she wouldn't have known what to do with only one pair of clothes. She was all for recycling clothing, just not when one was sweaty and stank up to the high heavens.

The water was surprisingly mild as she got in, which was a pleasant surprise, since she'd long gotten used to bathing in ice cold rivers whenever she was lucky enough to come across them. She figured that the heat from the day's sun had warmed it up, which she was entirely grateful for.

"Thank you Sun," She murmured with a small smile of amusement as she fully got into the water. Speaking with herself had become a common occurrence, and yes she knew, it wasn't the best sign of sanity, it got lonely travelling with oneself for such a long time.

Lucianna was an Extrovert, and yes, she could appreciate the pleasant feeling of being alone every once in a while, with no one to disturb you, she mostly preferred being around other people and being in someone else's company. For someone so used to hearing other's voices, it was unsettling going so long without. After a while she figured she'd just have to settle for her own.

Her bath was long and as luxurious as possible without having any access to hygiene products, though she made do, scrubbing as best as she could, and she'd even washed the clothes she'd been previously wearing, drying them on the boulder where her things were waiting.

She was in the middle of coaxing a rabbit closer with a rendition of _Vous les Femmes (_ quite an excellent one too, if she said so herself), and had almost succeeded when she heard the sound of metal brushing together, followed by a sharp intake of breath. The rabbit froze for a second, before quickly hopping away, and Lucy felt like her heart had just stopped.

She spun around quickly, the fear of meeting another one of those grey creatures filling her being, but she'd rather see her attacker. It was preferable to being stabbed in the back unsuspecting.

But to her surprise, and hesitant relief, it was not in fact one of the Grey Creatures. Instead, her eyes settled upon a very short and chubby male, clutching pots in his arms, standing upon large hairy feet, dressed in bright colours, with extremely curly sunshine blond hair, and shocked filled blue eyes.

For a long moment they simply stared at each other, their brain trying to process the sight of each, until suddenly, the male's round cheeks flushed a bright red, and he abruptly dropped his load, the loud sound filling the clearing and cutting through the shocked silence.

"P-p-p-pardon m-me m-my L-lady!" Was all he managed to stammer out before he turned quickly and beat a hasty retreat.

And all Lucianna could do was stare.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi friends. You know that feeling, the one that flops in your stomach and claws its way up your throat? I believe its called guilt.**

 **I'm really, really REALLY sorry for taking so much time with this. Honestly, I am. It wasn't writer's block per set, more the fact that I was having difficulty correctly portraying the Canon characters without them being OOC. And I guess the more I battled with it the more time passed, until four months passed. I'm sorry.**

 **Thank you all who faced and followed and continued to review, even during my absence. You are all appreciated and loved and give me inspiration.**

 **I hope this chapter is satisfactory, and as always, constructive criticism is appreciated, especially by a novice like me.**

 **:)**

* * *

Lucianna could only stare in the direction the little male had disappeared in five minutes previous, her mind still trying to register the strange encounter. The fact that she'd just come another person wasn't what had her dazed and confused, but it was the warning bells ringing loudly from her senses.

For some reason, her instincts were telling her to escape _now_ , while she still could, and though they'd never failed her before, her brain had not yet caught up, and she was still frozen in place, her limbs refusing to budge.

She _wanted_ to leave, but also, she was curious and happy at the same time at the prospect of their being other people in this strange land, unlike what she had assumed after her brief time in captivity, and she was anxious to talk to them, and ask them all the bubbling questions that had been piling onto an increasingly large stack.

And really, the little man hadn't _seemed_ dangerous, in fact, he seemed quite the opposite, so she really couldn't understand why she felt like she needed to get away. Perhaps she'd seek him out carefully, take a few minutes to see if he really was a danger, and if she was, haul ass as fast as she could.

She was pretty confident she could run way faster than he could, with those short legs of his.

Of course, her plan basically flew away in a second when the sound of a twig snapping hit her. She panicked, and her flight instinct kicked in, making her swim away to hide behind a rock in the water, taking care to submerge her whole body in the water except for her nose-upwards, and that her hair wasn't floating about her.

"A forest nymph, you say?" A new voice asked, sounding curious. It was a pleasant sounding voice, clearly masculine with a hint of an accent she couldn't place, but it sounded kind nonetheless –not the type of voice you'd immediately associate with wickedness.

Of course, those were the types one had to watch for the most.

"Oh yes indeed! I've met one once, so I would know! Her voice was so wonderful that even the animals were entranced, though I must admit, the words were strange, and the tune even stranger, but it was pleasant nonetheless." That was the voice of the little man who'd first found her, and she was entirely amused to find that he thought her some mystical forest being. Was that really the impression she gave?

The little man broke through the trees, eagerly glancing around for her, head turning in all directions, but after a while, his expression turned crestfallen after finding she was no longer in sight.

The second male followed soon after, and Lucy almost choked at the sight of him, barely remembering to keep her mouth closed lest she swallow water and drown, but it was a near thing.

He was much taller than his companion, standing at an estimated six feet and perhaps, four inches, all lithe muscle and graceful movements, dressed in a perfect blend of forest colours, with a bow on his back and bag full of arrows. His hair was long, falling down his back in a cascade of sunshine, braided intricately at the sides, and his eyes were brighter and more striking than the bluest sky she'd ever seen, brows thick and dark, creating a stunning contrast with his hair. With lips elegantly shaped, jaw strong and angular, Lucy concluded that this male was most probably carved by the angels themselves.

The curly haired blond let out a sign of distress that tugged on her heartstrings, "She was here, I would even swear it on my best batch of potatoes!" He declared, before pointing at the spot she'd previously occupied, "Standing right there and staring right back at me!"

The taller male gracefully fell to one knee with a kind smile and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, and the sight of his ears in full view made her pause in disbelief. They were sharp and pointed, exactly like an Elf's…

An Elf.

She swallowed in dread, and her eyes took a good look at his companion once again; Short Stature, Curly Hair, Large Feet, Slightly Tipped Ears, her brain just kept ticking off the list, and with each tick, she felt her heartbeat increase.

"I do not doubt your words, dear friend." The beautiful male soothed in a kind voice, "Mayhap if you gave me a description of her appearance, I would be aware of what to look for?" He proposed gently, and Lucy had to marvel at how easily he was able to calm his previously distressed friend. Of course, with a countenance like his, it was no wonder.

His companion nodded in agreement, "Well, her hair was long and straight, red enough to rival even the reddest of roses, and mind you, I've seen some red roses in my time!" He added, much to the clear amusement of his friend. "Her lips pink and she had eyes were even greener than the grass back home, if you can believe! Also, she had odd designs on her bare…skin…" He said the last word in a mumble, tugging at his vest with a bright blush all the way to his ears.

Lucy had to marvel at the little male though, snorting softly in amusement, because the description he gave was so misleading it was hilarious. It sounded like he was describing a completely different person entirely, and definitely not herself.

With a laugh, his friend stood up quickly. "It would seem that you are quite besotted with this Nymph," he teased good-naturedly, making the shorter male blush even harder, looking like a tomato. "Ah, but good-fortune to you, Master Hobbit, as she is still here in our very midst.

Lucianna's heart stopped mid-beat as his words fully registered in her mind, and she went very still, hoping against hope that maybe he was still unaware of her exact location. But it was a false hope, she knew. The amount of confidence in his voice told her he was perfectly aware of her hiding place, even if she was seriously contemplating drowning herself to avoid capture at that moment.

"Really?" The smaller male - _Hobbit,_ a voice inside her whispered- asked, looking hopeful. Elegantly, his companion stood, in one fluid move that made Lucianna envious.

He smiled and nodded in confirmation, before his sharp blue eyes snapped right to the boulder she was hiding behind almost too fast for her to understand, eyes connecting with hers for a second. With a startled intake of air, the redhead quickly ducked behind the rock entirely, though she knew it was a moot point. He'd already seen her.

Oh what to do now? She couldn't very well make a break for it, all her things were on the riverbed, and plus she was stark naked, she didn't want to be known as the mental female who ran into the forest, screaming and tiddies flying all the way. But she couldn't stay hidden behind the rock forever either.

"She has taken refuge behind that large boulder -we seem to have startled her." He explained to his friend.

Gathering her courage, Lucy swallowed thickly, pressed herself closer to the wet stone and raised her voice, "Who are you?" Her voice was unsteady, but could she really be blamed?

She wished she'd just listened to her instincts and ran while she still had the chance.

"We mean you no harm, my Lady," It was still the tall male speaking, acting as their spokesman, "My friend was simply curious about you. It's not often we come across a lone female during our travels." Lucianna heard the veiled suspicion in his voice in the last line, and tensed slightly.

The prospect of running was become more appealing, stark naked or not.

"I expect you've traveled far and wide to be able to say that." She answered after a moment.

"Perhaps, but dusk is falling quickly and the times we live in are unsafe," He told her, "Come join us at our campfire and I shall regale you with a few tales of our adventures."

"How can I trust you won't hurt me?" She demanded.

"You have my word." He swore, sounding entirely sincere. Mentally, Lucy scoffed, because she came from a place where promises weren't taken very seriously and deception was commonplace.

"The word of a stranger!" Declared the redhead, but she was also very wary. She'd seen his physique, his long legs and lean muscles. He was a runner, and probably a fast one at that. She doubted her chances escape.

"Please, my Lady," Intercepted the shorter male, "We're supping on Rabbit Stew, and a little warmth will do you some good, I suspect. We mean no harm, honest."

Rabbit stew, she thought was the last time she'd eaten anything other than nuts or fish? Her stomach grumbled.

As Lucianna peaked around the rock, and once again made eye-contact with the strange but beautiful male, she could see it wasn't much of a choice. Eyes flicking to his slightly shy, but still hopeful friend, she sighed in resignation.

"Give me a moment to get dressed."

* * *

As she sat crosslegged on the ground in front of a merrily crackling fire, clutching a wooden bowl of warm rabbit stew in her hand, and being stared at by nine strangers, Lucianna figured there were worse ways to spend an evening.

Of course, the intense scrutiny was awfully uncomfortable, as well as the awkward atmosphere, but she was able to ignore it by concentrating on her meal. It was hearty and satisfying, even if was in need of a little bit of salt, but really, it was the best thing she'd had in a long time, so she wasn't going to complain.

The stew also served to draw her attention enough to be able to ignore the current screaming, panicking mess that was her mind. Able to take away, -if only for a little bit- the fact she was currently in the presence of supposedly fictional characters.

She didn't want to believe it, really all she wanted was to be able to eat, and then be on her way, like 'Legolas' promised. She didn't want to get involved with any of this nonsense, she just wanted to eat and forget it ever happened, and continue try finding her way out of this blasted wilderness and get back home to Arsinoë.

"What's that queer design on your hand, girly?" A gruff voice demanded, breaking the stifling silence.

Lucianna twitched slightly at the moniker.

And yet, try as she might, she really couldn't ignore the fact that she was sitting next to a dwarf named 'Gimli'- who was clad in heavy armor and had his sharp axes in plain view, with thick red hair almost as bright as her own.

Everyone stared at her expectantly, the fire popping in the silence, and she forced a casual smile. "Its only laced ink." She wasn't sure if they knew the word tattoo.

The man with the shoulder-length caramel hair rose a brow, leaning against a tree with his arms and legs crossed. "Does it serve any purpose than for vanity's sake?"

Before she could reply, a grey clad elderly seated comfortably against a log, puffed once on his pipe, and spoke. "It very well could Boromir, I know of a tribe that decorate their skin as a way to discern warrior's rank." 'Gandalf's' eyes bore into mine, "Where did you say you were from, my Lady?"

Ah, Lucy hadn't told them anything. "Far away," She said, "Across the desert, over the mountains and past the sea."

"Quite a long distance," replied the black haired man sitting protectively next to four short males, who were all wide eyed and curly haired. "What made you stray so far from home?" He asked suspiciously.

Slowly Lucianna put down her now empty bowl, and wiped her hands against her jeans, buying a few seconds to compose herself. She knew if she answered wrongly, it might just be the death of her. "I'm a traveling performer, a Bard." She decided to keep to the lie she'd used when she'd been captured. Different stories would get muddled and cause her problems down the line.

"Are you?" Asked one of the four males seated next to him, with strawberry blond curls and bright eyes. His green eyed friend elbowed him pointedly, and he shut his mouth. After a second, Lucianna gathered they were supposed to be 'Merry' and 'Pippin'. Dark haired 'Frodo' and plump 'Sam' exchanged curious glances, but kept their mouths shut.

At her revelation, 'Gandalf' looked even more interested."How delightful," He stated, sounding for all the world as if it were the best news he'd heard all day. "Perhaps you can share a short tale with us, as a small payment for our hospitality."

Lucianna his her wariness in the face of an apologetic smile. She trusted the elderly man as far as she could throw him. "Sadly, it's getting late. I should be on my way..." 'Aragorn' pinned her down with a glance.

"It's far too late a Maiden wander unaccompanied." Said 'Legolas', a concerned expression on his face. Lucy didn't trust it either.

In fact, aside from the 'Hobbits', everyone in the camp was the enemy, and she was theirs.

She didn't know if she was imagining things, if this Green Hell had finally driven her crazy, or if she really was sitting amongst the Fellowship, but she _did_ know, that she wasn't going to let herself be dragged into anything. She loved the books, had gone far enough to learn a few basic sentences in Elvish even -but _never once_ had she wanted to actually be a part of them. The book was filled with constant danger, and Lucianna didn't have a death wish.

"Really, I'll be perfectly fine." She insisted, "I'm quite used to traveling alone. 'Boromir's' grey eyes narrowed.

"Regardless, it would be safer for you if you stayed with our party for the night." He stated, voice leaving no room for compromise.

A puff of smoke from 'Gandalf'. "Indeed." He agreed, nodding sagely. "We cannot, in good conscience, let a young Lady of your age set off alone." His bushy eyebrows creased, "who knows what dark terrors lay waiting? Terrible times we live in."

Lucianna noticed, how try as they might to hide it, everyone was tense -and she had no doubt that she'd be stopped physically if she attempted to leave without their permission. And though they didn't outright state it out loud, she wasn't an idiot.

Lucy was now their captive.


	6. Chapter 6

**Weeeeeeelll. It sure has been a while hasn't it?**

 **I have no excuse really, other than a very severe case of writer's block. It was deadly.**

 **I hope you guys like this chapter, and don't flay me too hard for the long delay.**

 **And to all those reading my other two ongoing fics -CP and TCS-, rest assured, you _will_ be getting your updates this month. **

**Review?**

* * *

The plan, quite obviously, was to escape. At the moment, Lucianna wasn't quite sure how exactly she'd manage to carry it out, considering she was under 24/7 hostage watch, carried out quite efficiently by a stony Boromir, but she'd find a way -even if it meant jumping off a cliff.

Unfortunately, where they currently trekking, there were no convenient cliff-sides available.

And just because three days had passed with none in sight, didn't mean she'd given up hope. It just meant that she'd have to stick it out a little bit longer.

She'd _tried_ of course, to find other alternatives to the suicidal cliff diving, but it wasn't easy. Whenever she claimed she needed to pee, Boromir was there, whenever she claimed the need to bathe, Boromir was there, at night when she was up in her tree, Boromir _was there_ \- keeping a stoic watch at the base as he calmly used a wetstone to sharpen his already sharp (in her humble opinion) sword.

Honestly, she wondered if the man ever slept.

The worst part was that no one was admitting that she was a captive, even when they all knew it to be true. A confrontation with Gandalf questioning why exactly, if she wasn't a hostage, was the Golden Man of Gondor riding her ass so hard, only led to a calm explanation of He is simply keeping you safe in case of unforseen threats".

'Unforseen threats', her ass.

They didn't trust her, and she'd have known it even if she were blind and half-deaf. And Lucianna didn't hold it against them either, because if _she_ encountered a dodgy woman in strange clothing traveling alone in times where monsters were running about and everyone was stabbing each other in the back, well, she'd be bloody fucking suspicious too.

 _Though_ to be fair, at least they were nice, or as nice as could be in their circumstances. They didn't interact much, hell, she wasn't supposed to even know their names, and they sure as hell didn't know hers, but in the rare instances that her existence was acknowledged (Boromir's shadowing aside), they were okay. Aragorn, for all his wary glances in her direction, always came around to ask if she was doing alright, Boromir, despite his gruff countenance, was very helpful if she stumbled or tripped as they walked and even Gimli once gave her a hand. He'd seen her struggling to crack open some leftover nuts she'd scavenged from the depths of her bag, and blatantly rolled his eyes before gesturing impatiently for her to hand them over, and proceeding to crush them with his mighty hammer. And though they were mostly crumbs when he handed them back to her, she appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

The Hobbits tended to stick together along with trusty Bill the Pony, Aragorn or Gandalf never far, sometimes both. The conversed in hushed voices about her 'mysterious appearance' and 'odd markings' but whenever she glanced at them, they went suspiciously quiet. She tried to smile at them, but aside from a few hesitant smiles in return, they did nothing more. She wasn't sure whether they were just shy or not allowed to speak to her. Lucy was betting mostly on the latter.

As for Legolas, well she never saw him except for when they made camp each evening, and even then it was for a short while to confer with Gandalf before he disappeared again. Whenever she did see him however, he'd shoot her a kind smile and a nod of acknowledgement, so she figured he wasn't so bad.

But despite all their courtesy, she was still trying to escape.

Her main problem was that even if she _did_ escape, she'd be forced into nomadism once again, with no clear path in sight and no way home. And vulnerable to, well, everything. She could acknowledge that whilst with the Fellowship, at least she had a bit of protection. Lucianna had no skill fighting skills whatsoever and her escape from the Orcs had been on pure luck alone. What would happen if she encountered another, more vicious and intelligent party?

She shuddered to think of the possibilities.

But she did want to go home, _desperately_ wanted to, and staying with the Fellowship severely limited her chances of doing so - severely limited in the way that she'd probably die somewhere between Moria and Helm's Deep.

One could see why she didn't want to stay.

She contemplated spilling the truth to Gandalf, in hopes that maybe he could help her find a way home, but she couldn't see how well that would go down. He'd probably accuse her of being a witch sent by Sauron to work her powers on them and kidnap Frodo. She'd rather just keep her mouth shut.

And anyway, Gandalf was gonna die, then come back to life, then be too busy to deal with her problems _anyway_ , so was there a point really? And she was desperate enough to go to Saruman, evil or not, but the thing with him was that he was both evil _and_ crazy, so she couldn't trust him enough to perhaps even make a deal with, lest the Great Eyeball of Fire and Terror whisper in his ear and tell him to lock her up.

The Elves didn't do much except for healing magic and she wasn't injured, so that was a useless road as well, and she couldn't even Google ' _What to do when stuck in a fantasy world and just want to go home?_ ' Because she had no reception in this bloody world.

And all she wanted was a good smoke, but with her one-cigarette a day rationing, she wasn't getting it.

Gandalf and the others (sans Sam, Legolas, and Frodo) smoked, but Lucy was too afraid to ask for some on the fear that they were actually smoking some Middle-Earthen Weed, and Lucy didn't have good experiences while stoned, so she refrained.

Music, her normal relaxation alternative, was a no-go as well, since they were supposed to be traveling under the low-key and couldn't afford the attention her guitar would draw. It was only late at night, tucked into her chosen tree and buried under the cover of the thick leaves, would she pull out her phone and listen to a few songs through her earphones - _never_ for more than thirty minutes each night. She was trying to conserve her battery for as long as she could, especially since her portable charges didn't have an unlimited lifespan either. Sooner or later, they'd all run out, and she'd be left with nothing.

She was dreading when that day came.

And there it was the possibility that she'd been avoiding for so long, because it wasn't just her phone or her batteries that would wear out, but eventually her clothing too, and her cigarettes and everything else she brought along because what if _she never went home_? _Couldn't get home?_ It was something she'd have to think about because it was going for three weeks since her arrival in this green hell and there was no sign of the potential of her returning to Dublin or anywhere in her old world, and she'd just have to accept that maybe she never would.

It wasn't that she was giving up hope or she was throwing in the towel - _definitely_ not- but she'd have to think of contingency plans and 'just in case's because it was seriously starting to look like she was stranded in this miserable place, with no way out.

* * *

On the fourth day of walking, they finally made it out of the closed comfort of the forest, and instead emerged into a vast dry land, with plenty rocks and little vegetation, aside from the occasional dried up shrubbery, and Lucy didn't know whether to feel relieved at the change of scenery (because Jesus knew she'd been fed up with all that bloody _green_ ) or depressed that the change of scenery revealed something so well...boring. The Misty Mountains were still in the far -very far- distance, their snowy peaks disappearing into the heavy grey clouds, but the sight of them did little to add some variation.

Really, they only seemed to make her more desolate. The closer they got to them the less likely she'd be able to make her escape.

Not that, she'd really knew how she'd go about it. She was still trying to figure out the little details.

It was a fine afternoon at least, the skies blue and full of fluffy white clouds, and everyone seemed to be in good spirits. Even grim Boromir wasn't as tense as he usually was.

It was in this good mood that Gandalf, with a positive spring in his step, decided to make camp for lunch. And it was a good thing too cause Lucianna half-feared that Pippin's stomach would eat him alive for all the menacing sounds it was making.

Also, the reprieve granted her slight relief from her sore feet.

A small fire was lit and Sam brought out a few sausages and eggs that he had apparently stashed in secret, and when he started to cook them, the smell almost made Lucy delirious with happiness. She'd thought all the meat had already been eaten.

She took a seat a little aways from Frodo, watching Merry and Pippin sparring with Boromir who was yelling instructions at them. Apparently, he was in such a good mood, that he'd decided to back off a little from being her constant shadow. Sam approached her shyly, offering a plate of food, and her grateful smile was so heartfelt that it made him blush tomato red and retreat hastily. He still seemed to be under the impression that she really was some mystical forest nymph, she'd heard him whispering to the other Hobbits late into the night about it when they were supposed to be sleeping, and honestly, she found it _endlessly_ amusing.

As she munched quietly finished off her food, she noticed Gimli, who stood nearby, was beginning to get agitated. He was shooting dirty glances at Legolas, who was perched on a boulder looking out at the landscape and as always, was ignoring everyone as usual.

Finally, he made a loud sound of annoyance "If anyone were to ask for my opinion, which I note that they're _not"_ , There was enough sass in his voice to kill a small rodent, she couldn't help but think, "I'd say we were taking the long way round. Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome." Gimli stated loudly.

"No Gimli, I would not take the roads through Moria unless I had no other choice." She heard Gandalf reply, his previous jovial manner suddenly dark.

It was at that moment that two things happened. Legolas jumped from one stone to another nearby and was staring intently at something in the sky and that with dread, Lucy also realised which part of the series they were currently in.

She realized then, that as much as she wanted to haul ass and hide in the bushes, she could not, as that would draw unwanted attention and serve to convince them all that she definitely was a spy for the enemy. How else would she know of threats before they happened?

And she _also_ realized, that any chance for escape, had, well, escaped her.

So very, _very_ casually, she spoke up, "What is that?" She asked, standing and squinting at the sky as if she were as confused as the rest of them.

"Nothing but a wisp of cloud." Gimli scoffed dismissively.

"It's moving fast… against the wind!" Boromir spoke with alarm, he too snapping to attention.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas cried, hopping off the boulder and before Lucianna could even react, he'd grabbed her forearm and pulled her quickly into the cover of the bushes.

"Hide!" Aragorn yelled as he began picking up stray cloaks that littered the ground.

"Hurry!" Boromir agreed as he found a place large enough for him to hide.

"Take cover!" Aragorn hissed as Sam emptied the water from the pan over the fire, extinguishing the flames and then ran for cover.

As shocked as she was at his actions, she was smart enough to know to _not move a muscle_ , even though she was hella uncomfortable with their close proximity. Her main concern however, was with praying that the bloody birds didn't notice her. She wasn't exactly subtle with her bright hair and bulky guitar bag. Saruman didn't know about her presence, and she didn't want him to.

At that moment what looked to be large crows started to circle where they were hiding, cawing loudly and making Legolas clutch at his sensitive ears.

It was the longest two minutes of her life as they circled the camp remains twice, before going on their way. Everyone waited a minute longer in their hiding places, to make sure the birds were fully gone.

Eventually, Gandalf emerged from the small alcove of rock he'd been hidden by, his frown so deep that his eyebrows covered his gaze.

"Spies of Saruman! The passage south is being watched." He announced. "We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

Lucianna almost burst into tears right then and there.


	7. Chapter 7

**I am on a roll, really.**

 **The beginning banter between Legolas and Gimli does NOT BELONG TO ME. It's been stolen from** **While the Ring went south** by **** ** _ThunderaTiger_ an excellent fic, absolutely hilarious, a must read. I claim no ownership on the lines. **

**Hope you like the chapter.**

 **Review?**

* * *

Contrary to what the series portrayed, the party did not just suddenly _appear_ at the base of Caradhras It took a week of additional walking from where they'd encountered the Crebain, the pace lengthened by the tricky terrain in their path. If Lucy had thought she'd been sick of unending grass and trees, then she was entirely _done_ with dry rocks and dead weeds. At least where there was grass, walking had been easier, but now she'd lost count of how many times she'd tripped over an unseen crack in the ground and just narrowly avoided twisting an ankle. Boromir in these cases, was a Godsend, often catching her before she truly hurt herself but really, the whole thing was just ridiculous.

Gimli and Legolas, didn't help matter much either, with their constant bickering. The Elf had taken to walking with their party since there really was no point in scouting ahead when, unlike in the forest, there were no trees blocking their vision. It was just dry rock for as far as the eye could see.

Sometimes, their quarrels were hella amusing, she had to admit, like in one such instance of which Gimli had abruptly stopped mid stride, and Legolas accidentally bumped into him which led to a whole new round of fighting.

"How can you seek to place the blame on me?" Gimli loudly demanded, face puffed up with rage, "With those supposedly 'keen' elven eyes, I thought you would have seen me halt. I saw no reason to warn you, and it is your fault for running into me. I believe you owe me an apology."

Legolas, cool, calm, and collected -as he _always_ tended to be when faced with Gimli- had simply, in his most _reasonable_ voice, replied "Keen my eyes may be, but you live so close to the ground that I mistook you for another rock in the path, Master Dwarf. And how can one apologize to something that can barely be seen, much less acknowledged?" Coupled with Gimli's accurate reenactment of a gaping fish, and Legolas's completely innocent demeanor, Lucy had laughed so hard she'd stumbled, Boromir just managing to steady her, and had proceeded to spend the next few minutes leaning on him for support.

Everyone had been surprised, the Hobbit turning to stare at her with wide eyes, and yet she couldn't blame them. It was the most emotion that any of them had ever seen from her, aside from a few small smiles here and there.

The closer they got to the Misty Mountain however, the darker her mood got, to the point that Boromir was even starting to shoot her concerned looks whenever he thought she wasn't paying attention.

He was wrong because she _was_ paying attention - to _everything_. The way the wind felt on her cheeks, the sound of birds in the air and the feel of the hard ground under her boots. She figured, if she was going to die soon, she may as well start enjoying the little things.

Like how it felt to be alive.

Of course, she just wasn't going to up and let herself be killed, she'd do as best as she could to survive until the end. Hell, she'd already dressed up in the evening before they'd arrived at the base, in preparation of the cold. If there was one thing she was grateful for, was the fact that she'd been dressed in heavy winter clothing when she'd arrived.

It was a good thing too, because the base of Caradhras was already hit with snow by the time they arrived. As she stared up and up and up and _up_ until her view was hidden by the clouds, Lucianna took a moment to pray. God knew she'd need help during the climb.

Boromir, always a silent fixture beside her, gave her a small nod, and somehow she understood it as, just as he'd always helped her when she stumbled, he'd help her in the climb too, and after giving him a small smile of gratitude, they continued on with the rest of the group.

At first -the climb really wasn't _that_ difficult. The snow was soft and easy to move through, and even the Hobbits had little trouble, chatting amicably amongst themselves in wonder about the snow. Apparently, the Shire never received snow, so they were excited about their first encounter with it. Gandalf and Aragorn chatted quietly in the front of the group, and Gimli occasionally giving a gruff opinion every once in a while, and Legolas, of course, was a little ways away from the rest of them, acting as their scout. She and Boromir brought up the rear, along with an ever-faithful Bill the Pony who trotted behind to Sam.

All in all, Lucy was honestly surprised, she'd expected gruesome torture from the beginning till the end.

Obviously she was wrong. The gruesome torture only started sometime in the middle, on their second day up the mountain.

The weather had worsened sometime during the night, and they woke to find the snow had risen something like two and a half feet, and the cold had turned positively frigid.

As trekked through the now knee-deep snow (thigh-deep for the Hobbits), Lucianna was starting to feel the effects of the weather, her hands going numb (why oh _why_ hadn't she been wearing gloves?), and her lips drying. She blew on her fingers periodically, in vain hope that some life would be breathed into them, but alas, it was no use. She was bloody frozen. She opted instead to tuck them under her armpits.

She wanted to voice her complaints outloud, but didn't for fear she would come off a bothersome, and anyway Gimli was doing it for her. Every time he'd make a frustrated comment, she'd give a mental nod of agreement.

"Snow, bah!" He scoffed, " _This_ is why we dwarves stay underground!" He muttered shooting a glare at Legolas who didn't leave as much as a footprint behind him. He sauntered past Gimli, shooting him a smug look which made the dwarf curse in a harsh sounding language. Lucy understood his frustration. Legolas was literally unaffected by the change in weather, and while they were all suffering and dragging themselves through like half-frozen iced-lollies, he still looked like a model.

Boromir must have sensed her growing desire to shove the Elf off the mountainside, because he spoke.

"Are you well?" He asked from beside her, grey eyes concerned.

She made a vague sound of affirmation in the back of her throat, "Oh, definitely." Lucy used her most pleasant voice, "And how are you doing?"

Boromir frowned, and immediately started taking off his gloves, handing them to her, much to her horror. "Here-" he started, but Lucy cut him off quickly.

"You've already given your cloak away," she said gesturing to a semi-buried Pippin, "Keep them." Lucy stated, gently pushing his hands away. As much as she would have _loved_ to say yes, the guilt of accepting would be too much.

The Man of Gondor looked ready to protest, and she glared pointedly at him.

Reluctantly, he reapplied his gloves.

They continued on for a little while but as the snow got deeper and the mountain steeper, the Hobbits started struggling and stumbling more and more.

Suddenly, Frodo cried out and fell from in front of them, tumbling down the mountain and landing at her feet.

Quickly, she knelt down to help him up, dusting off the snow he'd gathered and hoping that the ring had somehow managed to stay on his neck, but when Boromir bent towards where Frodo had fallen, and retrieved something from within the snow upon the ground she knew it hadn't. He held it up, almost loosely, the sunlight glinting off the gold metal, and every member stopped walking, giving the Man of Gondor wary looks.

As she absentmindedly helped Frodo steady himself, she found herself entranced by the simply beauty of the ring. It wasn't very extravagant, she'd seen better, but it almost _called_ to her, its seductive aura sensually winding itself into her mind. It was powerful beyond her imagination, that she knew for sure.

Powerful enough to get her home.

"Boromir." Aragorn's voice was soft but held clear warning, and like magic, the enchantment was broken and she was blinking herself back into consciousness.

"It is a strange fate we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing. Such a little thing." Boromir mused, his eyes fixated on the ring before him, dangling by a silver chain. She could see that he wasn't in his right mind, possessed by the allure of it.

Lucianna swallowed nervously, because she _knew_ just how convincing it could be. She'd just experienced it first hand. Aragorn's hand was subtly inching its way to his scabbard, and as much as she was avoiding interfering, she couldn't help but act. Boromir was kind and thoughtful, and the _only_ reason why he was so affected by the ring was because of his desperation to save his home. He didn't deserve their hostility - _especially_ not Aragorn's.

Standing quickly, she placed a hand on Boromir's forearm, pleading with him through her eyes. "Give the ring back to Frodo, _please_." Her voice was soft but earnest, and he blinked down at her a few times in confusion. The tension was so thick that it could be cut with a knife, but Lucy didn't let go.

And then he shrugged and handed the chain back.

"No matter." The fair haired man said, back to normal, and she could _see_ it in his eyes when the ring lost its influence on him. "It matters little to me."

Frodo secured it around his neck once more, thanking her softly as he tucked in into his shirt, but all she could give back was a shaky smile.

She was still reeling at the effects it had had on her. Of course, Lucianna never thought herself to be above the influence of the One Ring, but to be a target of it was something else entirely. It had been so convincing that she had no doubt if Aragorn hadn't spoken, she probably would have stolen the ring for herself, and that was unsettling.

* * *

They found a cave to camp in around sunset, and after a brave Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas went inside to inspect it and make sure it was free of danger, Gandalf decided they'd make camp there for the evening. No one complained, they were far too grateful to finally rest, fatigue dragging everyone down.

The old wizard reluctantly allowed a fire to be lit with the last of the wood they'd carried up with Bill the Pony, only because the Hobbits were like to freeze to death otherwise, and Lucy was entirely grateful for it. Everyone immediately huddled around the fire, putting their hands out to absorb the warmth, and after dumping her things at the back of the cave, claiming her sleeping spot, she took a seat next to Boromir to join them. At first, her fingers were so numb that the heat against them was painful, but after a while the warmth turned pleasant and she sighed in contentment. She would have liked to take off her boots as well, but she was afraid her toes would be even more exposed to the warmth.

A little away from her, Merry also gave a pleased sigh, his cheeks flushed from the heat and she smiled slightly at him. As much as she wouldn't admit it out loud for fear of insulting them, the Hobbits were so adorable it was ridiculous.

She felt eyes on her, and turned to find Gimli frowning at her speculatively. Lucy blinked, and he cleared his throat roughly, "What's your name, lassie?" He asked.

And suddenly all attention was on her, even Gandalf who'd been quietly smoking his pipe in a corner.

For a second, she could only dumbly repeat his words, "...My name?" She asked.

Aragorn made a thoughtful sound. "Gimli has a point. You have been our companion for near a fortnight, and yet we still do not know your name."

She shrugged, "Well, its not like anybody bothered to ask," she pointed out. "My name is Lucianna." She told them. The prospect of lying had crossed her mind before, but she found no point in it. Its not like they could track her down or anything.

"That's a very pretty name," Sam venturer shyly, and she gave him a smile.

"Thank you."

Gandalf chuckled, "A pretty name indeed," he agreed and Sam blushed. "You said you were a Bard, yes? Why not tell us a tale then?" He 'proposed' genially.

Lucy knew it wasn't a proposition, he was testing her cover story.

"Oh, please do!" Pippin cried hopefully.

"I, myself, wouldn't be opposed to hearing one. Perhaps it shall even serve to lift our spirits." Said Aragorn, catching onto Gandalf's plan, his grey eyes boring into her.

The rest of the party made various sounds of agreement until Lucianna found nine pairs of eyes staring at her expectantly.

She floundered, "I know plenty of stories...Of love and adventure, of betrayal and friendship. Which sort would you like to hear?" She asked, trying to buy some time.

"Give us some action!" Gimli immediately demanded.

"A tale of friendship!" Requested Pippin.

Even Boromir wanted something, quietly asking for one of adventure.

It was true, that she _did_ know plenty of stories, how couldn't she when she was a nerd that came from the 21st century? It was the whole reason _why_ she'd picked the whole 'traveling' bard cover story, after all, but the problem was, she'd have to choose one which they could relate to, that didn't have anything to do with modern day technology or concepts they couldn't understand.

She smiled and pretended to think for a moment, giving a playful him, and Frodo smiled a little.

After a moment Lucianna decided to fall back on her default, the one story she'd be able to tell even if she was 98 years old with Alzheimer's and had forgotten everything else in life.

"I think, for the sake of keeping the peace, I'll tell one with all three, and a little bit of magic as well." Lucy said, looking at Gandalf, who's blue eyes twinkled. "Well, there was once a young boy named Harry Potter..."

They took _very_ well to it, to say the least. They hated the Dursely's, horrified that family could be so cruel, and often interrupted with questions and thoughtful remarks, about one thing or the other. She had to twist some things around of course, like the train or Hagrid's motorcycle, but otherwise, it was very easy to get through and she made it all the way to the Troll's attack before Gandalf gently interrupted because it was getting late and they needed rest. After being bullied by the Hobbits to continue the story the next evening, much to Lucy's amusement, everyone retired to their respective spots for bed.

But no matter how hard she tried to fall asleep, Lucianna could not. Now that she had no more distraction, she found her mind drifting back to her 'introduction' to the ring earlier on, how it so easily gripped her mind and whispered promises into her heart. She gave a shiver, and it wasn't from the cold.

She wanted a cigarette very badly, but she avoided smoking in confined places when everyone was so close together, it wouldn't be fair on them.

With a quiet huff, she stood, careful not to disturb the others who had easily fallen victim to their exhaustion, Gimli snoring loudly, and went to join Legolas who sat at the entrance of the cave, on guard duty. Even through the heavy snow that fell, his eyes were still alert and she had no doubt he could see quite clearly.

"Do you ever sleep?" She asked, genuinely interested in knowing. To her, he was always up and ready for everything, no matter what time of day.

He seemed a little startled that she took a seat next to him, and was let alone talking to him directly. She hadn't done so since that very first day when Sam had led him to the river.

"Lady Lucianna," he spoke, tone revealing his surprise. Lucy grimaced.

"Just Lucianna, please." She corrected, because she couldn't imagine any of these high-born men saying something as common as Lucy. And wasn't that something, Lucy thought wryly, that even as grimy and haggard as everyone was, she was the only of low-social standing among them.

Legolas stared at her for a moment, before giving a single nod. "Lucianna then," he acquiesced. "And yes, to answer your question, I _do_ sleep, just not as often as you mortals."

"Ah." She breathed, because really, she didn't know what else to say.

He tilted his head at her, "Could you not find rest?" He asked, concerned. Lucianna took a moment to marvel at just how handsome he was, because _bloody hell_ , it was amazing, and sure she didn't like him in _that_ way, she could appreciate a good looking person when she saw one.

"Unfortunately not," she answered casually as if she hadn't just been checking him out, "My mind is far too restless for me to find any."

The blond elf made a sound of agreement, "I find I can understand your plight." He stated simply.

Lucy didn't ask what was bothering him, it wouldn't be her place. Instead she remained quiet, joining him in staring out into the dark night and wondered if she'd ever get home.


End file.
